043 · 4 panels
Someone would trust a casual answer enough to act on it.
Where are the dice for this game?
At an evening board-game gathering, a colleague looked for the pieces.
They're in the drawer at the far end.
Ara pointed there as a casual joke, knowing the drawer was empty.
That one's empty. They'll trust you and go looking there.
Jin spoke quietly to Ara, without embarrassing the colleague.
I gave you a false direction as a joke. I'm sorry. The dice are in this box.
Before the colleague searched further, Ara corrected herself and opened the real box.
Do not knowingly point someone the wrong way and cause them trouble.
The source idea in our own words · Not a direct quotation
Bava Metzia 58b:10 · Read the source ↗Directing someone to a place we know is empty can waste their time and damage their trust. Even a remark meant as a joke can be corrected when we recognize the mistake, with information that actually helps.
A modern interpretation for this story
A question to take with you
Am I considering the time of the person who will act on my words?
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Bava Metzia 58b is a religious and legal discussion of verbal mistreatment. This adaptation draws on one example in paragraph 10: knowingly sending grain buyers to someone who does not sell grain. It does not criticize genuine comparison shopping or requests for information. The modern board-game gathering, Ara, Jin, colleague, empty drawer, dice and all dialogue are fictional, not a reenactment of an event in the source.
Read the source ↗AI-generated artwork · Creative adaptation